Football practice on Thanksgiving Day is a right that 24 Football Championship Subdivision teams get to have.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, being one of those teams, is taking full advantage.
The seventh-ranked Mocs (8-3) will go through their final practice today in preparation for their playoff game Saturday against 14th-ranked Fordham (9-2) at 1 p.m. at Finley Stadium.
After practice, coach Russ Huesman will have about 10 of his players at his home for Thanksgiving dinner.
“Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I don’t have to get a gift for anybody; I get to eat and watch football,” he said. “Right now, though, I could care less about Thanksgiving because we’re going to play a football game that we have to practice and prepare for, and you have to get that mentality into the players’ minds because most don’t get to go home.
“This is special. I tell these guys that you’re going to have a bunch of Thanksgivings for the rest of your lives.”
Because of their proximity to Chattanooga, some players will get a chance to go home and have dinner with their families, and will bring teammates along. Others, like senior Sema’je Kendall, will have family come to visit. The 6-foot, 185-pound senior is from Huntsville, Ala., so he does get the opportunity to spend time with his family, although the T-shirt and warm-up pants look that is perfect for post-Thanksgiving lounging won’t be available to him.
Because of his family’s desire to take pictures, the lounging look will be ditched for a button-down shirt and a fresh haircut. But he’s still going to eat well.
“I like to eat a lot, too. I’m one of the big skinny guys,” he said.
Are any of his teammates – namely the offensive linemen – getting invitations to his house?
“No, I wouldn’t let them in,” he said. “I need leftovers. I need to eat Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday to get the week started.”
Sophomore defensive tackle Trevor Jachimowicz, who is from Orchard Park, N.Y., is one of the 10 or so players who will be attending the Huesmans’ dinner. Since he’s about 800 miles away from home, there really weren’t many other options.
The 6-3, 225-pounder who ended up in Chattanooga by way of Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia doesn’t even have the option of going home for a day, so he appreciates the opportunity to spend time with his extended family, who he said should expect to see him stuffing his face full of turkey and mashed potatoes.
Maybe even some fried chicken, a food that he’s grown to like since the move to the South.
“When you’re with your teammates, there’s nothing different,” he said. “You get to hang out and laugh, eat some good food and it’s a good time all around. It doesn’t matter to me where I’m at, being that far away from home like I am.”
Much as Huesman and the coaching staff have engrained in the players, Jachimowicz understands the honor to be having the opportunity to be in game-week preparation for Saturday’s game.
“The playoffs are an exciting time,” he said. “Not many teams get the opportunity to play in them, so we have to take advantage of the moment while we can.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.